Telescoping Tail Assemblies for Use on Aircraft

ABSTRACT

A telescoping tail assembly for use on an aircraft that has a fore-aft length. The telescoping tail assembly includes a housing extending in an aftward direction and a tailboom slidable along the housing into various positions including an extended position and a retracted position. A jackscrew is coupled to the tailboom. An actuator is coupled to the jackscrew and is configured to selectively rotate the jackscrew to translate the tailboom between the plurality of positions. The tailboom has one or more control surfaces coupled thereto. The tailboom increases the fore-aft length of the aircraft in the extended position and decreases the fore-aft length of the aircraft in the retracted position.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates, in general, to aircraft configured toconvert between thrust-borne lift in a VTOL orientation and wing-bornelift in a biplane orientation and, in particular, to aircraft havingtelescoping tail assemblies that slide into various positions includinga retracted position and an extended position to adjust the overalllength of the aircraft.

BACKGROUND

Fixed-wing aircraft, such as airplanes, are capable of flight usingwings that generate lift responsive to the forward airspeed of theaircraft, which is generated by thrust from one or more jet engines orpropellers. The wings generally have an airfoil cross section andgenerate a lifting force as the aircraft moves forward to support theaircraft in flight. Fixed-wing aircraft, however, typically require arunway that is hundreds or thousands of feet long for takeoff andlanding. Unlike fixed-wing aircraft, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL)aircraft do not require runways. Instead, VTOL aircraft are capable oftaking off and landing vertically. Rotorcraft such as helicopters,tiltrotors, tiltwings, quadcopters, tailsitters and other multicoptersare examples of VTOL aircraft. Each of these rotorcraft utilizes one ormore rotors to provide lift and thrust to the aircraft. The rotors notonly enable vertical takeoff and landing, but may also enable hover,forward flight, backward flight and lateral flight. These attributesmake VTOL aircraft highly versatile for use in congested, isolated orremote areas. Some types of VTOL aircraft such as tailsitters,tiltrotors and tiltwings are convertible between a forward flightorientation, in which the rotors provide forward thrust with the forwardairspeed of the VTOL aircraft allowing for wing-borne lift enabling theVTOL aircraft to have a high forward speed, and a VTOL orientation, inwhich the rotors provide thrust-borne lift. Unmanned aerial systems(UAS), also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones, areself-powered fixed-wing or VTOL aircraft that do not carry a humanoperator, use aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle lift, areautonomously and/or remotely operated, may be expendable or recoverableand may carry lethal or nonlethal payloads. UAS may be used in military,commercial, scientific, recreational and other applications.

Both fixed-wing and VTOL aircraft can be subject to dimensionallimitations. For example, the dimensions of maritime or amphibiousaircraft may need to be optimized to fit within a given spotting factoror reduced to fit on a deck elevator. Some aircraft may be limited inmaximum height due to factory or hangar door height constraints, whileother aircraft may be limited in overall length to land on or take offfrom a given helipad. UAS present a unique sizing challenge in that manyUAS are designed to be rapidly packaged, unpackaged and deployed fromshipping containers or other small spaces, imposing severe limitationson their dimensions.

Short coupled aircraft, which may include fixed-wing aircraft, VTOLaircraft or UAS, may be employed to address the aforementioned sizinglimitations as well as other dimensional constraints. Short coupledaircraft are aircraft with a relatively short distance between the wingand tailboom, empennage, tail assembly or other structure used toprovide a force that orients the aircraft. Due to the short moment armin such short coupled configurations, the tail structure is required toproduce greater orientational control forces to avoid, for example,sensitivity to pilot-induced oscillation. Thus, short coupled aircraftoften suffer from significant stability and control issues. In theexample of twin engine aircraft, such stability and control issuescommonly result in reduced directional stability and control, while forother classes of aircraft both longitudinal and directional stabilityand control may be adversely impacted. Accordingly, a need has arisenfor aircraft configurations that facilitate flight stability and controlwithout adversely impacting an aircraft's storage footprint andtransportability.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a telescopingtail assembly for use on an aircraft having a fore-aft length. Thetelescoping tail assembly includes a housing extending in an aftwarddirection, a tailboom slidable along the housing into various positionsincluding an extended position and a retracted position and one or morecontrol surfaces coupled to the tailboom. The tailboom increases thefore-aft length of the aircraft in the extended position and decreasesthe fore-aft length of the aircraft in the retracted position.

In some embodiments, the housing may be an outer housing having an aftend forming a rear aperture and the tailboom may be an inner tailboom,the inner tailboom slidably receivable into the outer housing via therear aperture. In other embodiments, the housing may be an inner housingand the tailboom may be an outer tailboom having a forward end forming aforward aperture, the inner housing slidably receivable into the outertailboom via the forward aperture. In certain embodiments, thetelescoping tail assembly may include an annular aft bearing interposedbetween the housing and the tailboom adjacent an aft end of the housing,the aft bearing configured to support the tailboom in the plurality ofpositions. In some embodiments, the telescoping tail assembly mayinclude a limiter interposed between the housing and the tailboom, thelimiter configured to limit the tailboom from extending past apredetermined extended position. In certain embodiments, the tailboommay have a forward end with an enlarged dimension configured to abut thelimiter in the predetermined extended position. In some embodiments, thelimiter may be an adjustable limiter movable and selectively lockablealong a length of the housing to change the predetermined extendedposition of the tailboom. In certain embodiments, the housing may form anumber of adjustment holes extending along the length of the housing andthe limiter may form one or more pin receivers. In such embodiments, thetelescoping tail assembly may include one or more adjustment pinsreceivable by the adjustment holes in the housing and the one or morepin receivers of the limiter to secure the limiter at a location alongthe length of the housing.

In some embodiments, the telescoping tail assembly may include one ormore springs coupled to the housing and/or the tailboom configured tobias the tailboom toward the extended position. In certain embodiments,the one or more springs may include a tension spring having a forwardend coupled to the tailboom and an aft end coupled to the housing, thetension spring biasing the tailboom toward the extended position. Insuch embodiments, the telescoping tail assembly may include a tensioningselector to adjust the tension of the tension spring. In someembodiments, the telescoping tail assembly may include a retainerinterposed between the housing and the tailboom, the retainer having adisengaged position in which the tailboom is slidable between thevarious positions and an engaged position in which the tailboom islocked into the extended position. In such embodiments, the retainer maymove from the disengaged position to the engaged position in response tothe tailboom sliding aft of the retainer. In certain embodiments, theretainer may be movable and selectively lockable at locations along alength of the housing. In some embodiments, the retainer may include abase, a flap rotatably coupled to the base via a forward pivot joint andan aft pin spring interposed between the base and the flap configured tobias the flap into the engaged position. In certain embodiments, thetelescoping tail assembly may include a jackscrew coupled to thetailboom and an actuator coupled to the jackscrew, the actuatorconfigured to selectively rotate the jackscrew to translate the tailboombetween the various positions.

In a second aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a propulsionassembly for an aircraft. The propulsion assembly has a fore-aft lengthand includes a nacelle, a rotor assembly coupled to the forward end ofthe nacelle and a telescoping tail assembly at the aft end of thenacelle. The telescoping tail assembly includes a housing extending inan aftward direction, a tailboom slidable along the housing into variouspositions including an extended position and a retracted position andone or more control surfaces coupled to the tailboom. The tailboomincreases the fore-aft length of the propulsion assembly in the extendedposition and decreases the fore-aft length of the propulsion assembly inthe retracted position.

In some embodiments, the propulsion assembly may include a landing footcoupled to the aft end of the tailboom. In certain embodiments, thetelescoping tail assembly may include a forward retraction stop disposedforward of the tailboom configured to limit the tailboom from retractingpast a predetermined retracted position.

In a third aspect, the present disclosure is directed to an aircraftoperable to transition between thrust-borne lift in a VTOL orientationand wing-borne lift in a biplane orientation. The aircraft includes anairframe and a thrust array attached to the airframe. The thrust arrayincludes a number of propulsion assemblies each having a fore-aftlength. Each propulsion assembly includes a nacelle, a rotor assemblycoupled to the forward end of the nacelle and a telescoping tailassembly at the aft end of the nacelle. The telescoping tail assemblyincludes a housing extending in an aftward direction, a tailboomslidable along the housing into various positions including an extendedposition and a retracted position and one or more control surfacescoupled to the tailboom. The tailbooms increase the fore-aft lengths ofthe propulsion assemblies in the extended position and decrease thefore-aft lengths of the propulsion assemblies in the retracted position.

In some embodiments, the tailbooms may slide from the retracted positionto the extended position in response to a gravitational forceexperienced by the tailbooms during takeoff in the VTOL orientation andmay slide from the extended position to the retracted position inresponse to landing on a surface in the VTOL orientation. In certainembodiments, the tailbooms may slide from the retracted position to theextended position in response to a drag force experienced by thetailbooms during flight.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the features and advantages of thepresent disclosure, reference is now made to the detailed descriptionalong with the accompanying figures in which corresponding numerals inthe different figures refer to corresponding parts and in which:

FIGS. 1A-1B are schematic illustrations of an aircraft with telescopingtail assemblies that is operable to convert between thrust-borne lift ina VTOL orientation and wing-borne lift in a biplane orientation inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one implementation of a thrust array and aflight control system for an aircraft having telescoping tail assembliesin accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of autonomous and remote control systems foran aircraft having telescoping tail assemblies in accordance withembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 4A-4B are side views of an aircraft with telescoping tailassemblies in extended and retracted positions in accordance withembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 5A-5D are various views of a telescoping tail assembly having anouter housing and an inner tailboom in accordance with embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIGS. 6A-6I are schematic illustrations of an aircraft with telescopingtail assemblies in a sequential flight operating scenario in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 7A-7D are various views of a telescoping tail assembly includingsprings and a retainer in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 8A-8D are various views of an active telescoping tail assembly inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 9A-9D are various views of a telescoping tail assembly having aninner housing and an outer tailboom in accordance with embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIGS. 10A-10D are various views of a telescoping tail assembly having aninner housing, an outer tailboom and a forward retraction stop inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIGS. 11A-11D are various views of a telescoping tail assembly having aninner housing, an outer tailboom and springs in accordance withembodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the making and using of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated thatthe present disclosure provides many applicable inventive concepts,which can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. Thespecific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative and do notdelimit the scope of the present disclosure. In the interest of clarity,all features of an actual implementation may not be described in thisspecification. It will of course be appreciated that in the developmentof any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specificdecisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, suchas compliance with system-related and business-related constraints,which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will beappreciated that such a development effort might be complex andtime-consuming but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for thoseof ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

In the specification, reference may be made to the spatial relationshipsbetween various components and to the spatial orientation of variousaspects of components as the devices are depicted in the attacheddrawings. However, as will be recognized by those skilled in the artafter a complete reading of the present disclosure, the devices,members, apparatuses, and the like described herein may be positioned inany desired orientation. Thus, the use of terms such as “above,”“below,” “upper,” “lower” or other like terms to describe a spatialrelationship between various components or to describe the spatialorientation of aspects of such components should be understood todescribe a relative relationship between the components or a spatialorientation of aspects of such components, respectively, as the devicesdescribed herein may be oriented in any desired direction. As usedherein, the term “coupled” may include direct or indirect coupling byany means, including by mere contact or by moving and/or non-movingmechanical connections.

Referring to FIGS. 1A-1B in the drawings, isometric views of atailsitter aircraft 10 with telescoping tail assemblies that is operableto transition between thrust-borne lift in a VTOL orientation andwing-borne lift in a biplane orientation are depicted. FIG. 1A depictsaircraft 10 in the biplane orientation wherein the propulsion assembliesprovide forward thrust with the forward airspeed of aircraft 10providing wing-borne lift enabling aircraft 10 to have a high speedand/or high endurance forward flight mode. FIG. 1B depicts aircraft 10in the VTOL orientation wherein the propulsion assemblies providethrust-borne lift. Aircraft 10 has a longitudinal axis 10 a that mayalso be referred to as the roll axis, a lateral axis 10 b that may alsobe referred to as the pitch axis and a vertical axis 10 c that may alsobe referred to as the yaw axis. When longitudinal axis 10 a and lateralaxis 10 b are both in a horizontal plane and normal to the localvertical in the earth's reference frame, aircraft 10 has a level flightattitude. In the illustrated embodiment, the length of aircraft 10 inthe direction of lateral axis 10 b is greater than the width of aircraft10 in the direction of longitudinal axis 10 a in the VTOL orientation ofaircraft 10, as depicted in FIG. 1B. Both the magnitudes of the lengthand the width of aircraft 10 as well as the difference between thelength and the width of aircraft 10 are important relative to thelanding stability of aircraft 10 as well as the tip-over stability ofaircraft 10 when aircraft 10 is positioned on a surface such as theground in a tailsitter orientation.

In the illustrated embodiment, aircraft 10 has an airframe 12 includingwings 14, 16 each having an airfoil cross-section that generates liftresponsive to the forward airspeed of aircraft 10. Wings 14, 16 may beformed as single members or may be formed from multiple wing sections.The outer skins for wings 14, 16 are preferably formed from highstrength and lightweight materials such as fiberglass, carbon, plastic,metal or other suitable material or combination of materials. In thebiplane orientation of aircraft 10, wing 14 is an upper wing having astraight wing configuration and wing 16 is a lower wing having astraight wing configuration. In other embodiments, wings 14, 16 couldhave other designs such as anhedral and/or dihedral wing designs, sweptwing designs or other suitable wing designs. In the illustratedembodiment, wings 14, 16 are substantially parallel with each other.Extending generally perpendicularly between wings 14, 16 are two trussstructures depicted as pylons 18, 20. In other embodiments, more thantwo pylons may be present. Pylons 18, 20 are preferably formed from highstrength and lightweight materials such as fiberglass, carbon, plastic,metal or other suitable material or combination of materials. In theillustrated embodiment, pylons 18, 20 are substantially parallel witheach other.

Aircraft 10 includes a cargo pod 22 that is coupled between pylons 18,20. Cargo pod 22 may be fixably or removably coupled to pylons 18, 20.In addition, in the coupled position, cargo pod 22 may be fixed,shiftable or rotatable relative to pylons 18, 20. Cargo pod 22 has anaerodynamic shape configured to minimize drag during high speed forwardflight. Cargo pod 22 is preferably formed from high strength andlightweight materials such as fiberglass, carbon, plastic, metal orother suitable material or combination of materials. Cargo pod 22 has aninterior region that may receive a payload 24 therein such as one ormore packages. Aircraft 10 may autonomously transport and deliverpayload 24 to a desired location, in which case aircraft 10 may bereferred to as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), an unmanned aerialsystem (UAS) or a drone. In other embodiments, aircraft 10 may notinclude cargo pod 22.

One or more of cargo pod 22, wings 14, 16 and/or pylons 18, 20 maycontain flight control systems, energy sources, communication lines andother desired systems. For example, pylon 20 houses flight controlsystem 26 of aircraft 10. Flight control system 26 is preferably aredundant digital flight control system including multiple independentflight control computers. For example, the use of a triply redundantflight control system 26 improves the overall safety and reliability ofaircraft 10 in the event of a failure in flight control system 26.Flight control system 26 preferably includes non-transitory computerreadable storage media including a set of computer instructionsexecutable by one or more processors for controlling the operation ofaircraft 10. Flight control system 26 may be implemented on one or moregeneral-purpose computers, special purpose computers or other machineswith memory and processing capability. For example, flight controlsystem 26 may include one or more memory storage modules including, butnot limited to, internal storage memory such as random access memory,non-volatile memory such as read only memory, removable memory such asmagnetic storage memory, optical storage, solid-state storage memory orother suitable memory storage entities. Flight control system 26 may bea microprocessor-based system operable to execute program code in theform of machine-executable instructions. In addition, flight controlsystem 26 may be selectively connectable to other computer systems via aproprietary encrypted network, a public encrypted network, the Internetor other suitable communication network that may include both wired andwireless connections.

One or more of cargo pod 22, wings 14, 16 and/or pylons 18, 20 maycontain one or more electrical power sources depicted as a plurality ofbatteries 28 in pylon 20. Batteries 28 supply electrical power to flightcontrol system 26, the distributed thrust array of aircraft 10 and/orother power consumers of aircraft 10 such that aircraft 10 may bereferred to as an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL)aircraft. In other embodiments, aircraft 10 may have a hybrid powersystem that includes one or more internal combustion engines and anelectric generator. Preferably, the electric generator is used to chargebatteries 28. In other embodiments, the electric generator may providepower directly to a power management system and/or the power consumersof aircraft 10. In still other embodiments, aircraft 10 may use fuelcells as the electrical power source.

Cargo pod 22, wings 14, 16 and/or pylons 18, 20 also contain a wiredand/or wireless communication network that enables flight control system26 to communicate with the distributed thrust array of aircraft 10. Inthe illustrated embodiment, aircraft 10 has a two-dimensionaldistributed thrust array that is coupled to airframe 12. As used herein,the term “two-dimensional thrust array” refers to a plurality of thrustgenerating elements that occupy a two-dimensional space in the form of aplane. A minimum of three thrust generating elements is required to forma “two-dimensional thrust array.” A single aircraft may have more thanone “two-dimensional thrust array” if multiple groups of at least threethrust generating elements each occupy separate two-dimensional spacesthus forming separate planes. As used herein, the term “distributedthrust array” refers to the use of multiple thrust generating elementseach producing a portion of the total thrust output. The use of a“distributed thrust array” provides redundancy to the thrust generationcapabilities of the aircraft including fault tolerance in the event ofthe loss of one of the thrust generating elements. A “distributed thrustarray” can be used in conjunction with a “distributed power system” inwhich power to each of the thrust generating elements is supplied by alocal power system instead of a centralized power source. For example,in a “distributed thrust array” having a plurality of propulsionassemblies acting as the thrust generating elements, a “distributedpower system” may include individual battery elements housed within thenacelle of each propulsion assembly.

The two-dimensional distributed thrust array of aircraft 10 includes aplurality of propulsion assemblies, individually denoted as 30 a, 30 b,30 c, 30 d and collectively referred to as propulsion assemblies 30. Inthe illustrated embodiment, propulsion assemblies 30 a, 30 b are coupledat the wingtips of wing 14 and propulsion assemblies 30 c, 30 d arecoupled at the wingtips of wing 16. By positioning propulsion assemblies30 a, 30 b, 30 c, 30 d at the wingtips of wings 14, 16, the thrust andtorque generating elements are positioned at the maximum outboarddistance from the center of gravity of aircraft 10 located, for example,at the intersection of axes 10 a, 10 b, 10 c. The outboard locations ofpropulsion assemblies 30 provide dynamic stability to aircraft 10 inhover and a high dynamic response in the VTOL orientation of aircraft 10enabling efficient and effective pitch, yaw and roll control by changingthe thrust, thrust vector and/or torque output of certain propulsionassemblies 30 relative to other propulsion assemblies 30.

Even though the illustrated embodiment depicts four propulsionassemblies, the distributed thrust array of aircraft 10 could have othernumbers of propulsion assemblies both greater than or less than four.Also, even though the illustrated embodiment depicts propulsionassemblies 30 in a wingtip mounted configuration, the distributed thrustarray of aircraft 10 could have propulsion assemblies coupled to thewings and/or pylons in other configurations such as mid-spanconfigurations. Further, even though the illustrated embodiment depictspropulsion assemblies 30 in a mid-wing configuration, the distributedthrust array of aircraft 10 could have propulsion assemblies coupled tothe wings in a low wing configuration, a high wing configuration or anycombination or permutation thereof. In the illustrated embodiment,propulsion assemblies 30 are variable speed propulsion assemblies havingfixed pitch rotor blades and thrust vectoring capability. Depending uponthe implementation, propulsion assemblies 30 may have longitudinalthrust vectoring capability, lateral thrust vectoring capability oromnidirectional thrust vectoring capability. In other embodiments,propulsion assemblies 30 may operate as single speed propulsionassemblies, may have variable pitch rotor blades and/or may benon-thrust vectoring propulsion assemblies.

Propulsion assemblies 30 may be independently attachable to anddetachable from airframe 12 and may be standardized and/orinterchangeable units and preferably line replaceable units (LRUs)providing easy installation and removal from airframe 12. The use ofline replaceable propulsion units is beneficial in maintenancesituations if a fault is discovered with one of the propulsionassemblies. In this case, the faulty propulsion assembly 30 can bedecoupled from airframe 12 by simple operations and another propulsionassembly 30 can then be attached to airframe 12. In other embodiments,propulsion assemblies 30 may be permanently coupled to wings 14, 16.

Referring to FIG. 1B, component parts of propulsion assembly 30 d willnow be described. It is noted that propulsion assembly 30 d isrepresentative of each propulsion assembly 30 therefore, for sake ofefficiency, certain features have been disclosed only with reference topropulsion assembly 30 d. One having ordinary skill in the art, however,will fully appreciate an understanding of each propulsion assembly 30based upon the disclosure herein of propulsion assembly 30 d. In theillustrated embodiment, propulsion assembly 30 d includes a nacelle 32that houses components including a battery 32 a, an electronic speedcontroller 32 b, one or more actuators 32 c, an electronics node 32 d,one or more sensors 32 e and other desired electronic equipment. In someembodiments, electronics node 32 d may include battery 32 a, electronicspeed controller 32 b and sensors 32 e. The forward end of nacelle 32supports a propulsion system 32 f including a gimbal 32 g, a variablespeed electric motor 32 h and a rotor assembly 32 i.

Flight control system 26 communicates via a wired communications networkwithin airframe 12 with electronics nodes 32 d of propulsion assemblies30. Flight control system 26 receives sensor data from sensors 32 e andsends flight command information to the electronics nodes 32 d such thateach propulsion assembly 30 may be individually and independentlycontrolled and operated. For example, flight control system 26 isoperable to individually and independently control the speed and thethrust vector of each propulsion system 32 f. Flight control system 26may autonomously control some or all aspects of flight operation foraircraft 10. Flight control system 26 is also operable to communicatewith remote systems, such as a ground station via a wirelesscommunications protocol. The remote system may be operable to receiveflight data from and provide commands to flight control system 26 toenable remote flight control over some or all aspects of flightoperation for aircraft 10.

Because aircraft 10 may be subject to sizing and operationalconstraints, aircraft 10 may have dimensions consistent with that of ashort coupled aircraft. Due to the short moment arm in certain shortcoupled configurations, the tail structure in such configurations may berequired to produce greater orientational control forces to avoid, forexample, sensitivity to pilot-induced oscillation. Thus, short coupledaircraft often suffer from stability and control issues. To addressthese and other issues presented by short coupled aircraft, the aft endof nacelle 32 includes a telescoping tail assembly 34 that is slidableto change the fore-aft length of both aircraft 10 and propulsionassembly 30 d to adapt to the changing flight, transport and storagerequirements of aircraft 10. Telescoping tail assembly 34 has atube-in-tube telescoping configuration that includes an outer housing 36and an inner tailboom 38. FIG. 1A shows the telescoping tail assembliesof propulsion assemblies 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, 30 d in the extendedposition, which may be more suitable for forward flight. FIG. 1B showsthe telescoping tail assemblies of propulsion assemblies 30 a, 30 b, 30c, 30 d in the retracted position, which may be more suitable in theVTOL orientation for takeoff, landing, storage, transport and/ormaintenance. It will be appreciated, however, that the telescoping tailassemblies may also be in the extended position in the VTOL orientationand the retracted position in the forward flight orientation dependingon the particular needs of the operation. The telescoping tailassemblies may also be in an intermediate position between theillustrated extended and retracted positions for either or both of theforward flight and VTOL orientations. While the illustrated embodimentshows telescoping tail assembly 34 on the aft end of nacelle 32, inother embodiments one or more telescoping tail assemblies may be coupledto wings 14, 16, pylons 18, 20 or any other portion of airframe 12.

Extending from inner tailboom 38 of telescoping tail assembly 34 is atail assembly 40 that includes one or more aerosurfaces 40 a. In theillustrated embodiment, aerosurfaces 40 a include stationary horizontaland vertical stabilizers. In other embodiments, aerosurfaces 40 a may beactive aerosurfaces that serve as elevators to control the pitch orangle of attack of wings 14, 16 and/or ailerons to control the roll orbank of aircraft 10 in the biplane orientation of aircraft 10. Becauseaerosurfaces 40 a are coupled to inner tailboom 38, the distance betweenaerosurfaces 40 a and wings 14, 16 may be changed based on the positionof telescoping tail assembly 34, allowing, for example, greaterorientational control of aircraft 10 in forward flight by extending thetelescoping tail assemblies of propulsion assemblies 30. Aerosurfaces 40a also serve to enhance hover stability in the VTOL orientation ofaircraft 10.

Aircraft 10 has a landing gear assembly 42 that includes a plurality oflanding feet depicted as landing foot 42 a coupled to a lower or aft endof propulsion assembly 30 a, landing foot 42 b coupled to a lower or aftend of propulsion assembly 30 b, landing foot 42 c coupled to a lower oraft end of propulsion assembly 30 c and landing foot 42 d coupled to alower or aft end of propulsion assembly 30 d. More particularly, landingfeet 42 a, 42 b, 42 c, 42 d are each coupled to a respective innertailboom of the telescoping tail assemblies of propulsion assemblies 30.By positioning landing feet 42 a, 42 b, 42 c, 42 d at the lower end ofwingtip mounted propulsion assemblies 30, landing feet 42 a, 42 b, 42 c,42 d are positioned at the maximum outboard distance from the center ofgravity of aircraft 10 located, for example, at the intersection of axes10 a, 10 b, 10 c, which provides for maximum landing stability andtip-over stability for aircraft 10.

It should be appreciated that aircraft 10 is merely illustrative of avariety of aircraft that can implement the embodiments disclosed herein.Indeed, the telescoping tail assemblies of the illustrative embodimentsmay be implemented on any aircraft. Other aircraft implementations caninclude helicopters, hybrid aircraft, compound helicopters, tiltwingaircraft, tiltrotor aircraft, quad tiltrotor aircraft, gyrocopters,propeller-driven airplanes and the like. As such, those skilled in theart will recognize that the telescoping tail assemblies of theillustrative embodiments can be integrated into a variety of aircraftconfigurations. It should be appreciated that even though aircraft areparticularly well-suited to implement the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, non-aircraft vehicles and devices can also implement theembodiments.

Referring next to FIG. 2 , a block diagram illustrates oneimplementation of a propulsion and flight control system for an aircraft100 that is representative of aircraft 10 discussed herein.Specifically, aircraft 100 includes four propulsion assemblies 102 a,102 b, 102 c, 102 d that form a two-dimensional thrust array of thrustvectoring propulsion assemblies. Propulsion assembly 102 a includesvarious electronic components 104 a including one or more batteries, oneor more controllers and one or more sensors. Propulsion assembly 102 aalso includes a propulsion system 106 a described herein as including anelectric motor and a rotor assembly. In the illustrated embodiment,propulsion assembly 102 a includes a two-axis gimbal 108 a operated byone or more actuators 110 a. In other embodiments, propulsion assembly102 a may include a single-axis gimbal or other mechanism for thrustvectoring. In still other embodiments, propulsion assembly 102 a may bea non-thrust vectoring propulsion assembly. Propulsion assembly 102 aincludes telescoping tail assembly 112 a configured to lengthen orshorten propulsion assembly 102 a based on the operational needs ofaircraft 100.

Propulsion assembly 102 b includes an electronics node 104 b depicted asincluding one or more batteries, one or more controllers and one or moresensors. Propulsion assembly 102 b also includes a propulsion system 106b, a two-axis gimbal 108 b operated by one or more actuators 110 b and atelescoping tail assembly 112 b. Propulsion assembly 102 c includes anelectronics node 104 c depicted as including one or more batteries, oneor more controllers and one or more sensors. Propulsion assembly 102 calso includes a propulsion system 106 c, a two-axis gimbal 108 coperated by one or more actuators 110 c and a telescoping tail assembly112 c. Propulsion assembly 102 d includes an electronics node 104 ddepicted as including one or more batteries, one or more controllers andone or more sensors. Propulsion assembly 102 d also includes apropulsion system 106 d, a two-axis gimbal 108 d operated by one or moreactuators 110 d and a telescoping tail assembly 112 d.

Flight control system 114 is operably associated with each of propulsionassemblies 102 a, 102 b, 102 c, 102 d and is linked to electronics nodes104 a, 104 b, 104 c, 104 d by a fly-by-wire communications networkdepicted as arrows 116 a, 116 b, 116 c, 116 d. Flight control system 114receives sensor data from and sends commands to propulsion assemblies102 a, 102 b, 102 c, 102 d to enable flight control system 114 toindependently control each of propulsion assemblies 102 a, 102 b, 102 c,102 d, as discussed herein.

Referring additionally to FIG. 3 in the drawings, a block diagramdepicts a control system 122 operable for use with aircraft 100 oraircraft 10 of the present disclosure. In the illustrated embodiment,system 122 includes two primary computer based subsystems; namely, anaircraft system 124 and a remote system 126. In some implementations,remote system 126 includes a programming application 128 and a remotecontrol application 130. Programming application 128 enables a user toprovide a flight plan and mission information to aircraft 100 such thatflight control system 114 may engage in autonomous control over aircraft100. For example, programming application 128 may communicate withflight control system 114 over a wired or wireless communication channel132 to provide a flight plan including, for example, a starting point, atrail of waypoints and an ending point such that flight control system114 may use waypoint navigation during the mission. In addition,programming application 128 may provide one or more tasks to flightcontrol system 114 for aircraft 100 to accomplish during the missionsuch as delivery of a payload to a desired location. Followingprogramming, aircraft 100 may operate autonomously responsive tocommands generated by flight control system 114.

In the illustrated embodiment, flight control system 114 includes acommand module 134 and a monitoring module 136. It is to be understoodby those skilled in the art that these and other modules executed byflight control system 114 may be implemented in a variety of formsincluding hardware, software, firmware, special purpose processorsand/or combinations thereof. Flight control system 114 receives inputfrom a variety of sources including internal sources such as sensors138, controllers/actuators 140, propulsion assemblies 102 a, 102 b, 102c, 102 d as well as external sources such as remote system 126, globalpositioning system satellites or other location positioning systems andthe like. Propulsion assemblies 102 a, 102 b, 102 c, 102 d each includea telescoping tail assembly.

During the various operating modes of aircraft 100 such as the verticaltakeoff flight mode, the hover flight mode, the forward flight mode,transition flight modes and the vertical landing flight mode, commandmodule 134 provides commands to controllers/actuators 140. Thesecommands enable independent operation of propulsion assemblies 102 a,102 b, 102 c, 102 d including rotor speed, thrust vector and the like.Flight control system 114 receives feedback from controllers/actuators140 and propulsion assemblies 102 a, 102 b, 102 c, 102 d. This feedbackis processed by monitoring module 136 that can supply correction dataand other information to command module 134 and to controllers/actuators140. Sensors 138, such as an attitude and heading reference system(AHRS) with solid-state or microelectromechanical systems (MEMS),gyroscopes, accelerometers and magnetometers as well as other sensorsincluding positioning sensors, speed sensors, environmental sensors,fuel sensors, temperature sensors, location sensors and the like alsoprovide information to flight control system 114 to further enhanceautonomous control capabilities.

Some or all of the autonomous control capability of flight controlsystem 114 can be augmented or supplanted by remote flight control from,for example, remote system 126. Remote system 126 may include one orcomputing systems that may be implemented on general-purpose computers,special purpose computers or other machines with memory and processingcapability. The computing systems may be microprocessor-based systemsoperable to execute program code in the form of machine-executableinstructions. In addition, the computing systems may be connected toother computer systems via a proprietary encrypted network, a publicencrypted network, the Internet or other suitable communication networkthat may include both wired and wireless connections. Remote system 126communicates with flight control system 114 via communication link 132that may include both wired and wireless connections.

While operating remote control application 130, remote system 126 isconfigured to display information relating to one or more aircraft ofthe present disclosure on one or more flight data display devices 142.Display devices 142 may be configured in any suitable form, including,for example, liquid crystal displays, light emitting diode displays,augmented displays or any suitable type of display. Remote system 126may also include audio output and input devices such as a microphone,speakers and/or an audio port allowing an operator to communicate withother operators or a base station. Display device 142 may also serve asa remote input device 144 if a touch screen display implementation isused, however, other remote input devices, such as a keyboard orjoystick, may alternatively be used to allow an operator to providecontrol commands to an aircraft being operated responsive to remotecontrol.

Referring to FIGS. 4A-4B in the drawings, a tailsitter aircraft withtelescoping tail assemblies is schematically illustrated and generallydesignated 200 and which is representative of aircraft 10. Propulsionassemblies 202, 204 are coupled to wings 206, 208, respectively, whichare coupled to pylon 210. Cargo pod 212 is supported in part by pylon210. Propulsion assemblies 202, 204 each include a respectivetelescoping tail assembly 214, 216. In FIG. 4A, telescoping tailassemblies 214, 216 are in the extended position. In FIG. 4B, aircraft200 is vertically landed on surface 218 and the weight of aircraft 200compresses telescoping tail assemblies 214, 216 into the retractedposition. Propulsion assembly 202 is substantially similar to propulsionassembly 204 and the other propulsion assemblies of aircraft 200therefore, for sake of efficiency, certain features will be disclosedonly with regard to propulsion assembly 202. One having ordinary skillin the art, however, will fully appreciate an understanding ofpropulsion assembly 204 and the other propulsion assemblies of aircraft200 based upon the disclosure herein of propulsion assembly 202.

Rotor assembly 220 is coupled to the forward end of nacelle 222.Telescoping tail assembly 214, which is at the opposite, aft end ofnacelle 222, includes outer housing 224. Outer housing 224 extends in anaftward direction and has an aft end forming a rear aperture 226. Innertailboom 228 is slidably receivable into the inner cavity, or hollow,formed by outer housing 224 via rear aperture 226. Inner tailboom 228 isslidable into various positions including the extended position shown inFIG. 4A, the retracted position shown in FIG. 4B and intermediatepositions therebetween. Various devices are coupled to inner tailboom228 including control surfaces 230, which may be passive or activecontrol surfaces that provide orientational control for aircraft 200.Landing foot 232 is coupled to the aft end of inner tailboom 228 toprovide an interface with which to land aircraft 200 on surface 218.Aircraft 200 and propulsion assembly 202 each have an adjustablefore-aft length 234 a, 234 b. Aircraft 200 and propulsion assembly 202have an increased fore-aft length 234 a when inner tailboom 228 is inthe extended position as shown in FIG. 4A and have a decreased fore-aftlength 234 b when inner tailboom 228 is in the retracted position asshown in FIG. 4B. Thus, telescoping tail assemblies 214, 216 may beextended or retracted to adjust the length of aircraft 200 and/orpropulsion assemblies 202, 204 to suit the various operations ofaircraft 200.

Referring additionally to FIG. 5A-5D in the drawings, additional viewsof telescoping tail assembly 214 of propulsion assembly 202 in theretracted and extended positions are depicted. More particularly, FIGS.5A-5B show telescoping tail assembly 214 in the retracted position andFIGS. 5C-5D show telescoping tail assembly 214 in the extended position.Both outer housing 224 and inner tailboom 228 are cylindrical such thateach form a circular cross-sectional shape with outer housing 224 havinga larger diameter than inner tailboom 228. In other embodiments, outerhousing 224 and inner tailboom 228 may have other complementarycross-sectional shapes such as a polygon, square, ellipse or irregularshape.

Telescoping tail assembly 214 includes aft bearing 236 interposedbetween outer housing 224 and inner tailboom 228 adjacent rear aperture226. Aft bearing 236 supports inner tailboom 228 in various positionsincluding the retracted, extended and intermediate positions by, forexample, taking or absorbing bending, tail balancing and/or maneuveringloads. Aft bearing 236 alleviates loads experienced by telescoping tailassembly 214 and transfers such loads to surrounding structure. In theillustrated embodiment, aft bearing 236 is an annular aft bearing andmay be, for example, a duplex bearing. In other embodiments, aft bearing236 may be formed from a plurality of load bearing blocks or otherstructures. While FIGS. 5B and 5D show aft bearing 236 as beingpermanently set near rear aperture 226, in other embodiments, aftbearing 236 may be permanently located elsewhere along the length ofouter housing 224 or may be movable along the length of outer housing224.

Telescoping tail assembly 214 also includes a limiter, or stop-lock, 238interposed between outer housing 224 and inner tailboom 228 forward ofaft bearing 236. Limiter 238 limits inner tailboom 228 from extendingpast a predetermined extended position. Limiter 238 may have any shapethat is adapted to prevent the aftward movement of inner tailboom 228such as an annular shape. Limiter 238 may also be formed from aplurality of blocks or other structures. Forward end 240 of innertailboom 228 has an enlarged dimension, namely an enlarged diameter inthe illustrated embodiment, that causes forward end 240 of innertailboom 228 to abut limiter 238 as inner tailboom 228 extends aftwardtoward the extended position.

Limiter 238 is movable and selectively lockable along the length ofouter housing 224 so that the predetermined extended position into whichinner tailboom 228 is extendable may be adjusted by an operator ofaircraft 200. A number of alternative stop locations for limiter 238along the length of outer housing 224 are provided by telescoping tailassembly 214 to provide for a customized in-flight tailboom position.More particularly, outer housing 224 forms adjustment holes 242extending along the length of outer housing 224 and limiter 238 formspin receivers 244. Adjustment pins 246 are received by both adjustmentholes 242 in outer housing 224 and pin receivers 244 in limiter 238 tosecure limiter 238 at a desired location along the length of outerhousing 224. Adjustment pins 246 may be push pins that are pushed inwardto allow longitudinal movement of limiter 238 or alternatively may beremovable pins that are pulled out of pin receivers 244 to allowlongitudinal movement of limiter 238 and inserted back into pinreceivers 244 to lock limiter 238 into a desired position. At oneextreme, limiter 238 may be locked into a forward-most position suchthat inner tailboom 228 is nonextendable. At the other extreme, limiter238 may be removed altogether such that inner tailboom 228 extends allthe way to aft bearing 236 with the forward end 240 of inner tailboom228 abutting aft bearing 236 in the extended position. Using adjustmentpins 246, limiter 238 may be optimally positioned for anticipatedloading or center of gravity conditions. For example, more of innertailboom 228 may be deployed in the predetermined extended position toachieve a center of gravity that is further aft while retaining a stabledesign.

Telescoping tail assembly 214 also includes a forward retraction stop248 disposed forward of inner tailboom 228 to limit inner tailboom 228from retracting past a predetermined retracted position. In addition tolimiting the amount by which inner tailboom 228 may retract, forwardretraction stop 248 may also protect components inside of nacelle 222.While forward retraction stop 248 is illustrated as having a permanentlocation inside nacelle 222, in other embodiments forward retractionstop 248 may be movable and lockable along the length of outer housing224 in a similar manner as limiter 238. Telescoping tail assembly 214 isillustrated as having a tube-in-tube design, although in otherembodiments telescoping tail assembly 214 may include multipletelescoping segments with intermediate telescoping tubes between theinner-most and outer-most tubes. In yet other embodiments, innertailboom 228 may be hollow and have a larger diameter than outer housing224 such that inner tailboom 228 slides along the outer surface of outerhousing 224. Telescoping tail assembly 214 is tailorable to enable awide breadth of loading conditions and may be particularly useful foraircraft having a high angle of attack since the fore-aft length of suchaircraft may be increased by extending telescoping tail assembly 214,thus improving trim and angle of attack. The retractability oftelescoping tail assembly 214 is advantageous for storability,transportability and ease of maintenance.

Referring additionally to FIGS. 6A-6I in the drawings, a sequentialflight-operating scenario of aircraft 200 including telescoping tailassemblies 214, 216 is depicted. As best seen in FIG. 6A, aircraft 200is in a tailsitter position on a surface such as the ground, a helipador the deck of an aircraft carrier with landing feet 232 in contact withthe surface. Telescoping tail assemblies 214, 216 are in the retractedposition prior to takeoff due to the weight of aircraft 200 forcinginner tailbooms 228 into outer housings 224. When aircraft 200 is readyfor a mission, the flight control system commences operations providingflight commands to the various components of aircraft 200. The flightcontrol system may be operating responsive to autonomous flight control,remote flight control or a combination thereof. For example, it may bedesirable to utilize remote flight control during certain maneuvers suchas takeoff and landing but rely on autonomous flight control duringhover, high speed forward flight and transitions between wing-borneflight and thrust-borne flight. In other implementations, aircraft 200may be a manned aircraft operated at least in part by a pilot.

As best seen in FIG. 6B, aircraft 200 has performed a vertical takeoffand is engaged in thrust-borne lift in the VTOL orientation of aircraft200. As illustrated, rotor assemblies 220 of propulsion assemblies 202,204 are each rotating in substantially the same horizontal plane. Aslongitudinal axis 250 a and lateral axis 250 b (denoted as the target)are both in a horizontal plane H that is normal to the local vertical inthe earth's reference frame, aircraft 200 has a level flight attitude.In the VTOL orientation, wing 208 is the forward wing and wing 206 isthe aft wing. As discussed herein, the flight control systemindependently controls and operates each propulsion assembly 202, 204including independently controlling speed and thrust vectoring. Duringhover, the flight control system may utilize differential speed controland/or differential or collective thrust vectoring of propulsionassemblies 202, 204 to provide hover stability for aircraft 200 and toprovide pitch, roll, yaw and translation authority for aircraft 200. Asaircraft 200 is airborne and the weight of aircraft 200 is no longerforcing inner tailbooms 228 into outer housings 224, the gravitationalforce experienced by inner tailbooms 228 during takeoff in the VTOLorientation causes inner tailbooms 228 to slide from the retractedposition to the extended position. This gravitational force overcomesthe frictional force between inner tailbooms 228 and outer housings 224so that inner tailbooms 228 extend until abutting limiters 238 while aftbearing 236 provides support to inner tailbooms 228. Extendingtelescoping tail assemblies 214, 216 in the VTOL orientation may bepreferred in some implementations to allow for a less complex design fortelescoping tail assemblies 214, 216 while optimizing drag, control andother flight parameters in both the VTOL and forward flightorientations.

After vertical ascent to the desired elevation, aircraft 200 may beginthe transition from thrust-borne lift to wing-borne lift. As best seenfrom the progression of FIGS. 6B-6D, aircraft 200 is operable to pitchdown from the VTOL orientation toward the forward flight, or biplane,orientation to enable high speed and/or long range forward flight. Asseen in FIG. 6C, longitudinal axis 250 a extends out of the horizontalplane H such that aircraft 200 has an inclined flight attitude of aboutsixty degrees pitch down. The flight control system may achieve thisoperation through speed control of some or all of propulsion assemblies202, 204, thrust vectoring of some or all of propulsion assemblies 202,204 or any combination thereof.

As best seen in FIGS. 6D and 6E, aircraft 200 has completed thetransition to the forward flight orientation with rotor assemblies 220of propulsion assemblies 202, 204 each rotating in substantially thesame vertical plane. In the forward flight orientation, wing 206 is theupper wing positioned above wing 208, which is the lower wing. Byconvention, longitudinal axis 250 a has been reset to be in thehorizontal plane H, which also includes lateral axis 250 b, such thataircraft 200 has a level flight attitude in the forward flightorientation. As forward flight with wing-borne lift requiressignificantly less power than VTOL flight with thrust-borne lift, theoperating speed of some or all of propulsion assemblies 202, 204 may bereduced. In certain embodiments, some of propulsion assemblies 202, 204of aircraft 200 could be shut down during forward flight. In the forwardflight orientation, the independent control provided by the flightcontrol system over each propulsion assembly 202, 204 provides pitch,roll and yaw authority for aircraft 200. In some embodiments, instead ofresponding to a gravitational force, inner tailbooms 228 may slide fromthe retracted position to the extended position in response to a dragforce experienced by inner tailbooms 228 in either the forward flightorientation or the conversion orientation between the VTOL and forwardflight orientations. Aerodynamic drag during forward flight may thenretain telescoping tail assemblies 214, 216 in the extended position. Insuch embodiments, the frictional force between inner tailbooms 228 andouter housings 224 may be tailored such that the frictional force isovercome by the drag force in forward flight so that inner tailbooms 228extend until abutting limiters 238 while aft bearing 236 providessupport to inner tailbooms 228 in forward flight. With telescoping tailassemblies 214, 216 extended in forward flight, aircraft 200 is providedthe orientational control and relative ease of maneuvering afforded by alonger coupled aircraft and is not restricted to the short coupledconfiguration in the retracted position.

As aircraft 200 approaches target ground location 252, which may be alanding zone, payload drop zone, waypoint or other stopping pointdepending on the mission, aircraft 200 may begin its transition fromwing-borne lift to thrust-borne lift in a forward flight-to-VTOLtransition phase best seen from the progression of FIGS. 6E-6G. Aircraft200 is operable to pitch up from the forward flight orientation to theVTOL orientation to enable, as in the illustrated example, a verticallanding operation. As seen in FIG. 6F, longitudinal axis 250 a extendsout of the horizontal plane H such that aircraft 200 has an inclinedflight attitude of about thirty degrees pitch up. The flight controlsystem may achieve this operation through speed control of some or allof propulsion assemblies 202, 204, thrust vectoring of some or all ofpropulsion assemblies 202, 204 or any combination thereof. In FIG. 6G,aircraft 200 has completed the transition from the forward flightorientation to the VTOL orientation. By convention, longitudinal axis250 a has been reset to be in the horizontal plane H which also includeslateral axis 250 b such that aircraft 200 has a level flight attitude inthe VTOL orientation.

Once aircraft 200 has completed the transition to the VTOL orientation,aircraft 200 may hover and commence its vertical descent to targetground location 252. In other mission types, aircraft 200 may drop apayload or perform another operation over target ground location 252. InFIG. 6H, aircraft 200 descends to target ground location 252, which inthe illustrated embodiment is a landing zone. In FIG. 6I, aircraft 200rests in its tailsitter orientation on landing zone 252. Inner tailbooms228 slide from the extended position to the retracted position inresponse to landing on landing zone 252 in the VTOL orientation.Aircraft 200, now shorter in length, may now take advantage of a smallerstorage and transport footprint.

Referring to FIGS. 7A-7D in the drawings, aircraft 300 includingpropulsion assembly 302 with telescoping tail assembly 304 isschematically illustrated. FIGS. 7A-7B show telescoping tail assembly304 in the retracted position and FIGS. 7C-7D show telescoping tailassembly 304 in the extended position. Telescoping tail assembly 304includes aft bearing 306 interposed between outer housing 308 and innertailboom 310 adjacent rear aperture 312. Aft bearing 306 supports innertailboom 310 in various positions including the retracted, extended andintermediate positions. Limiter 314 prevents inner tailboom 310 fromextending past a predetermined extended position. Forward end 316 ofinner tailboom 310 has an enlarged diameter that causes forward end 316of inner tailboom 310 to abut limiter 314 as inner tailboom 310 extendsaftward toward the extended position. Limiter 314 is movable andselectively lockable along the length of outer housing 308 usingadjustment pins 318 so that the predetermined extended position intowhich inner tailboom 310 is extendable may be adjusted by an operator ofaircraft 300. Forward retraction stop 320 disposed forward of innertailboom 310 limits inner tailboom 310 from retracting past apredetermined retracted position.

Telescoping tail assembly 304 includes springs 322, which help initiatemotion of telescoping tail assembly 304 by biasing inner tailboom 310toward the extended position until inner tailboom 310 hits limiter 314.In some embodiments, springs 322 may be coupled to either or both ofouter housing 308 and inner tailboom 310. In the illustrated embodiment,springs 322 are tension springs with forward ends coupled to forward end316 of inner tailboom 310 and aft ends coupled to outer housing 308 viaaft bearing 306. In other embodiments, the aft ends of springs 322 maybe coupled directly to outer housing 308 or another portion oftelescoping tail assembly 304. While the illustrated embodiment shows apair of tension springs, springs 322 may include any number of springsand any types of springs such as elastic bands. Springs 322 assist innertailboom 310 to overcome the frictional force between outer housing 308and inner tailboom 310 when moving to the extended position, which maybe beneficial in operational scenarios in which the gravitational ordrag force is insufficient to overcome such frictional force. When onsurface 324, the weight of aircraft 300 opposes the biasing force ofsprings 322, as best seen in FIG. 7A. Springs 322 also help to ensurethat all of the telescoping tail assemblies of aircraft 300 extenduniformly.

Telescoping tail assembly 304 includes spring tensioners 326 to adjustthe tension of springs 322. Spring tensioners 326 may be installed inaft bearing 306 or any other location to which springs 322 are coupled.Spring tensioners 326 may be used to adjust the tension of springs 322to better achieve desired translational positions of telescoping tailassembly 304 in view of anticipated flight loads. The tension of springs322 may also be adjusted in view of the selected location of limiter 314along the length of outer housing 308 to ensure a full extension ofinner tailboom 310. The tension of springs 322 may also be adjusted toensure that inner tailbooms 310 remain extended in the variousorientations of aircraft 300 during flight.

Telescoping tail assembly 304 includes retainer 328 that selectivelylocks inner tailboom 310 in the extended position. Retainer 328 includesa base 330, a flap 332 rotatably coupled to base 330 via a forward pivotjoint 334 and an aft pin spring 336 interposed between base 330 and flap332. Aft pin spring 336 biases flap 332 into the engaged position shownin FIG. 7D, in which inner tailboom 310 is locked into the extendedposition. Aft pin spring 336 may be pulled to move retainer 328 into thedisengaged position shown in FIG. 7B, in which inner tailboom 310 isable to freely slide or translate through outer housing 308 between theretracted and extended positions. While the illustrated embodiment showstelescoping tail assembly 304 using a pair of retainers 328, any numberof retainers may be used.

Retainer 328 is movable and selectively lockable along the length ofouter housing 308 so that the position in which inner tailboom 310 islocked may be customized. A number of alternative stop locations forretainer 328 along the length of outer housing 308 are provided bytelescoping tail assembly 304 to provide for a customized back stoplocation at which to hold inner tailboom 310. More particularly, outerhousing 308 forms adjustment holes 338 extending along the length ofouter housing 308 and retainer 328 forms pin receivers 340. Adjustmentpins 342 are received by both adjustment holes 338 in outer housing 308and pin receivers 340 in retainer 328 to secure retainer 328 at adesired location along the length of outer housing 308. Adjustment pins342 may be push pins that are pushed inward to allow longitudinalmovement of retainer 328 or alternatively may be removable pins that arepulled out of pin receivers 340 to allow longitudinal movement ofretainer 328 and inserted back into pin receivers 340 to lock retainer328 into a desired position.

FIG. 7B shows telescoping tail assembly 304 in the retracted positionand retainer 328 in the disengaged position. As inner tailboom 310slides past retainer 328 with the assistance of springs 322, innertailboom 310 compresses aft pin spring 336 so that retainer 328 isdisengaged and inner tailboom 310 is allowed to slide aftward. Retainer328 moves from the disengaged position to the engaged position shown inFIG. 7D when forward end 316 of inner tailboom 310 slides aft ofretainer 328. With inner tailboom 310 no longer providing resistance,aft pin spring 336 pushes flap 332 toward the longitudinal center ofouter housing 308 so that inner tailboom 310 is prevented from slidingin the forward direction. Retainer 328 rigidly holds or secures innertailboom 310 in place to provide additional support for inner tailboom310. Flap 332, forward pivot joint 334 and aft pin spring 336 reactloads including shear loads and provide the requisite strength tosupport inner tailboom 310. While retainer 328 prevents inner tailboom310 from retracting upon the landing of aircraft 300, retainer 328 maybe disengaged after landing to allow telescoping tail assembly 304 tomove into the retracted position. For example, aft pin spring 336 may bepulled outward to disengage retainer 328, allowing inner tailboom 310 toslide forward so that aircraft 300 can be reconfigured on the ground. Insome embodiments, retainer 328 may be removed altogether fromtelescoping tail assembly 304. In such embodiments, springs 322 may betensioned or sized such that springs 322 retain inner tailboom 310 inthe extended position during flight but allow the weight of aircraft 300to return inner tailboom 310 to its initial compressed and retractedposition upon landing without human intervention.

Referring to FIGS. 8A-8D in the drawings, aircraft 400 includingpropulsion assembly 402 with telescoping tail assembly 404 isschematically illustrated. FIGS. 8A-8B show telescoping tail assembly404 in the retracted position and FIGS. 8C-8D show telescoping tailassembly 404 in the extended position. Telescoping tail assembly 404includes aft bearing 406 interposed between outer housing 408 and innertailboom 410 adjacent rear aperture 412. Aft bearing 406 supports innertailboom 410 in various positions including the retracted, extended andintermediate positions. Limiter 414 prevents inner tailboom 410 fromextending past a predetermined extended position. Forward end 416 ofinner tailboom 410 has an enlarged diameter that causes forward end 416of inner tailboom 410 to abut limiter 414 as inner tailboom 410 extendsaftward toward the extended position. Limiter 414 is movable andselectively lockable along the length of outer housing 408 usingadjustment pins 418 so that the predetermined extended position intowhich inner tailboom 410 is extendable may be adjusted by an operator ofaircraft 400.

Telescoping tail assembly 404 is an active embodiment of a telescopingtail assembly that is actuated to move between the retracted andextended positions to allow for precision control and trim capability.Telescoping tail assembly 404 includes a jackscrew 420. Inner tailboom410 forms a jackscrew cavity 422 through which jackscrew 420 istranslatable. Jackscrew 420 is also coupled to inner tailboom 410 atjackscrew cavity 422. Telescoping tail assembly 404 includes an actuator424 such as a rotary electromechanical actuator coupled to jackscrew420. In the illustrated embodiment, actuator 424 is mounted to outerhousing 408, although actuator 424 may be mounted elsewhere in otherembodiments. Actuator 424 selectively rotates or drives jackscrew 420 ineither direction to slide inner tailboom 410 between the retracted andextended positions as desired. Jackscrew 420 is rotatably coupled to anairframe portion 426 of aircraft 400 and does not translate in thelongitudinal direction so that no additional space is required inpropulsion assembly 402 to accommodate translational travel of jackscrew420. In other embodiments, however, jackscrew 420 may be hard-mounted toinner tailboom 410 and actuator 424 may rotate to translate bothjackscrew 420 and inner tailboom 410 in the longitudinal direction. Insome embodiments, outer housing 408 and inner tailboom 410 may include aslot and receiver mechanism to clock inner tailboom 410 into a desiredrotational orientation, thereby preventing inner tailboom 410 fromspinning when sliding between the retracted and extended positions. Theactive actuation of telescoping tail assembly 404 allows for nonuniformpositioning of the telescoping tail assemblies of aircraft 400. Forexample, the upper telescoping tail assemblies may be extended while thelower telescoping tail assemblies are retracted, or vice versa.Telescoping tail assembly 404 is fully adjustable in flight and allowsfor the telescoping tail assemblies of aircraft 400 to be tailored toany flight condition, similar to how stabilizers may be used for largeraircraft. Telescoping tail assembly 404 also allows for a fine level ofcontrol and positioning. In some embodiments, actuator 424 mayautomatically move telescoping tail assembly 404 to a retracted groundconfiguration upon landing without the need for human input.

Referring to FIGS. 9A-9D in the drawings, aircraft 500 includingpropulsion assembly 502 with telescoping tail assembly 504 isschematically illustrated. FIGS. 9A-9B show telescoping tail assembly504 in the retracted position and FIGS. 9C-9D show telescoping tailassembly 504 in the extended position. Telescoping tail assembly 504 hasa reverse telescoping configuration with an inner housing 506 and anouter tailboom 508 having a forward end forming a forward aperture 510.Inner housing 506 is slidably receivable into outer tailboom 508 viaforward aperture 510. Control surfaces 512 are coupled to outer tailboom508. The reverse telescoping configuration of FIGS. 9A-9D allows for theentire length of outer tailboom 508 to collapse alongside inner housing506 since control surfaces 512 do not obstruct the retraction oftelescoping tail assembly 504.

Telescoping tail assembly 504 includes aft bearing 514 interposedbetween inner housing 506 and outer tailboom 508 adjacent the aft end ofinner housing 506. Aft bearing 514 supports outer tailboom 508 invarious positions including the retracted, extended and intermediatepositions. Limiter 516 prevents outer tailboom 508 from extending past apredetermined extended position. Forward end 518 of outer tailboom 508has an enlarged wall dimension in the form of an inner flange thatcauses forward end 518 of outer tailboom 508 to abut limiter 516 asouter tailboom 508 extends aftward toward the extended position. Limiter516 is movable and selectively lockable along the length of innerhousing 506 using adjustment pins 520 so that the predetermined extendedposition into which outer tailboom 508 is extendable may be adjusted byan operator of aircraft 500. Aft end 522 of outer tailboom 508 has anenlarged wall dimension in the form of an inner flange that abuts aftbearing 514 to limit outer tailboom 508 from retracting past apredetermined retracted position as best seen in FIG. 9B. Aft end 522 ofouter tailboom 508 may also include one or more landing feet 524.

Referring to FIGS. 10A-10D in the drawings, aircraft 600 includingpropulsion assembly 602 with telescoping tail assembly 604 isschematically illustrated. FIGS. 10A-10B show telescoping tail assembly604 in the retracted position and FIGS. 10C-10D show telescoping tailassembly 604 in the extended position. Telescoping tail assembly 604includes inner housing 606 and outer tailboom 608 having a forward endforming a forward aperture 610. Inner housing 606 is slidably receivableinto outer tailboom 608 via forward aperture 610. Control surfaces 612are coupled to outer tailboom 608.

Telescoping tail assembly 604 includes aft bearing 614 interposedbetween inner housing 606 and outer tailboom 608 adjacent the aft end ofinner housing 606. Aft bearing 614 supports outer tailboom 608 invarious positions including the retracted, extended and intermediatepositions. Limiter 616 prevents outer tailboom 608 from extending past apredetermined extended position. Forward end 618 of outer tailboom 608has an enlarged wall dimension in the form of an inner flange thatcauses forward end 618 of outer tailboom 608 to abut limiter 616 asouter tailboom 608 extends aftward toward the extended position. Limiter616 is movable and selectively lockable along the length of innerhousing 606 using adjustment pins 620 so that the predetermined extendedposition into which outer tailboom 608 is extendable may be adjusted byan operator of aircraft 600. One or more forward retraction stops 622,which may be annular shaped or include a number of blocks, are coupledto inner housing 606 forward of outer tailboom 608 to limit outertailboom 608 from retracting past a predetermined retracted position.Aft end 624 of outer tailboom 608 may also include one or more landingfeet 626.

Referring to FIGS. 11A-11D in the drawings, aircraft 700 includingpropulsion assembly 702 with telescoping tail assembly 704 isschematically illustrated. FIGS. 11A-11B show telescoping tail assembly704 in the retracted position and FIGS. 11C-11D show telescoping tailassembly 704 in the extended position. Telescoping tail assembly 704includes inner housing 706 and outer tailboom 708 having a forward endforming a forward aperture 710. Inner housing 706 is slidably receivableinto outer tailboom 708 via forward aperture 710. Control surfaces 712are coupled to outer tailboom 708.

Telescoping tail assembly 704 includes aft bearing 714 interposedbetween inner housing 706 and outer tailboom 708 adjacent the aft end ofinner housing 706. Aft bearing 714 supports outer tailboom 708 invarious positions including the retracted, extended and intermediatepositions. Limiter 716 prevents outer tailboom 708 from extending past apredetermined extended position. Forward end 718 of outer tailboom 708has an enlarged wall dimension in the form of an inner flange thatcauses forward end 718 of outer tailboom 708 to abut limiter 716 asouter tailboom 708 extends aftward toward the extended position. Limiter716 is movable and selectively lockable along the length of innerhousing 706 using adjustment pins 720 so that the predetermined extendedposition into which outer tailboom 708 is extendable may be adjusted byan operator of aircraft 700. Aft end 722 of outer tailboom 708 has anenlarged wall dimension in the form of an inner flange that abuts aftbearing 714 to limit outer tailboom 708 from retracting past apredetermined retracted position as best seen in FIG. 11B. Aft end 722of outer tailboom 708 may also include one or more landing feet 724.

Telescoping tail assembly 704 includes springs 726, which help initiatemotion of telescoping tail assembly 704 by biasing outer tailboom 708toward the extended position until outer tailboom 708 hits limiter 716.In some embodiments, springs 726 may be coupled to either or both ofinner housing 706 and outer tailboom 708. In the illustrated embodiment,springs 726 are tension springs with forward ends coupled to forward end718 of outer tailboom 708 and aft ends coupled to inner housing 706 viaaft bearing 714. In other embodiments, the aft ends of springs 726 maybe coupled directly to inner housing 706 or another portion oftelescoping tail assembly 704. While the illustrated embodiment shows apair of tension springs, springs 726 may include any number of springsand any types of springs such as elastic bands. Telescoping tailassembly 704 may include spring tensioners to adjust the tension ofsprings 726. In some embodiments, telescoping tail assembly 704 mayinclude a retainer similar to retainer 328 in FIGS. 7B and 7D toselectively lock outer tailboom 708 in the extended position.

The foregoing description of embodiments of the disclosure has beenpresented for purposes of illustration and description. It is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise formdisclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of theabove teachings or may be acquired from practice of the disclosure. Theembodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principalsof the disclosure and its practical application to enable one skilled inthe art to utilize the disclosure in various embodiments and withvarious modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissions may be made inthe design, operating conditions and arrangement of the embodimentswithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Suchmodifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments as wellas other embodiments will be apparent to persons skilled in the art uponreference to the description. It is, therefore, intended that theappended claims encompass any such modifications or embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A telescoping tail assembly for use on anaircraft having a fore-aft length, the telescoping tail assemblycomprising: a housing extending in an aftward direction; a tailboomslidable along the housing into a plurality of positions including anextended position and a retracted position; a jackscrew coupled to thetailboom; an actuator coupled to the jackscrew, the actuator configuredto selectively rotate the jackscrew to translate the tailboom betweenthe plurality of positions; and one or more control surfaces coupled tothe tailboom; wherein, the tailboom increases the fore-aft length of theaircraft in the extended position and decreases the fore-aft length ofthe aircraft in the retracted position.
 2. The telescoping tail assemblyas recited in claim 1 wherein, the housing is an outer housing having anaft end forming a rear aperture; and wherein, the tailboom is an innertailboom slidably receivable into the outer housing via the rearaperture.
 3. The telescoping tail assembly as recited in claim 1 furthercomprising an annular aft bearing interposed between the housing and thetailboom adjacent an aft end of the housing, the aft bearing configuredto support the tailboom in the plurality of positions.
 4. Thetelescoping tail assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein, the actuator isa rotary electromechanically actuator.
 5. The telescoping tail assemblyas recited in claim 1 further comprising a limiter interposed betweenthe housing and the tailboom, the limiter configured to limit thetailboom from extending past a predetermined extended position.
 6. Thetelescoping tail assembly as recited in claim 5 wherein, the tailboomhas a forward end having an enlarged dimension configured to abut thelimiter in the predetermined extended position.
 7. The telescoping tailassembly as recited in claim 5 wherein, the limiter is an adjustablelimiter movable and selectively lockable along a length of the housingto change the predetermined extended position of the tailboom.
 8. Thetelescoping tail assembly as recited in claim 7 wherein, the housingforms a plurality of adjustment holes extending along the length of thehousing and the limiter forms one or more pin receivers, the telescopingtail assembly further comprising: one or more adjustment pins receivableby the adjustment holes in the housing and the one or more pin receiversof the limiter to secure the limiter at a location along the length ofthe housing.
 9. The telescoping tail assembly as recited in claim 1wherein, the tailboom translates between the plurality of positionsrelative to the housing and relative to the jackscrew responsive torotation of the jackscrew.
 10. The telescoping tail assembly as recitedin claim 1 wherein, the tailboom further comprises a jackscrew cavity;and wherein, the jackscrew is received within and is rotatable relativeto the jackscrew cavity such that rotation of the jackscrew translatesthe tailboom between the plurality of positions.
 11. A propulsionassembly for an aircraft, the propulsion assembly having a fore-aftlength, the propulsion assembly comprising: a nacelle having forward andaft ends; a rotor assembly coupled to the forward end of the nacelle;and a telescoping tail assembly at the aft end of the nacelle, thetelescoping tail assembly comprising: a housing extending in an aftwarddirection; a tailboom slidable along the housing into a plurality ofpositions including an extended position and a retracted position; ajackscrew coupled to the tailboom; an actuator coupled to the jackscrew,the actuator configured to selectively rotate the jackscrew to translatethe tailboom between the plurality of positions; and one or more controlsurfaces coupled to the tailboom; wherein, the tailboom increases thefore-aft length of the propulsion assembly in the extended position anddecreases the fore-aft length of the propulsion assembly in theretracted position.
 12. The propulsion assembly as recited in claim 11wherein, the housing is an outer housing having an aft end forming arear aperture; and wherein, the tailboom is an inner tailboom slidablyreceivable into the outer housing via the rear aperture.
 13. Thepropulsion assembly as recited in claim 11 further comprising an annularaft bearing interposed between the housing and the tailboom adjacent anaft end of the housing, the aft bearing configured to support thetailboom in the plurality of positions.
 14. The propulsion assembly asrecited in claim 11 further comprising a limiter interposed between thehousing and the tailboom, the limiter configured to limit the tailboomfrom extending past a predetermined extended position, the limitermovable and selectively lockable along a length of the housing to changethe predetermined extended position of the tailboom.
 15. The propulsionassembly as recited in claim 11 wherein, the tailboom translates betweenthe plurality of positions relative to the housing and relative to thejackscrew responsive to rotation of the jackscrew.
 16. An aircraftoperable to transition between thrust-borne lift in a VTOL orientationand wing-borne lift in a biplane orientation, the aircraft comprising:an airframe; and a thrust array attached to the airframe, the thrustarray including a plurality of propulsion assemblies each having afore-aft length, each propulsion assembly comprising: a nacelle havingforward and aft ends; a rotor assembly coupled to the forward end of thenacelle; and a telescoping tail assembly at the aft end of the nacelle,the telescoping tail assembly comprising: a housing extending in anaftward direction; a tailboom slidable along the housing into aplurality of positions including an extended position and a retractedposition; a jackscrew coupled to the tailboom; an actuator coupled tothe jackscrew, the actuator configured to selectively rotate thejackscrew to translate the tailboom between the plurality of positions;and one or more control surfaces coupled to the tailboom; wherein, thetailbooms increase the fore-aft lengths of the propulsion assemblies inthe extended position and decrease the fore-aft lengths of thepropulsion assemblies in the retracted position.
 17. The aircraft asrecited in claim 16 wherein, the housing is an outer housing having anaft end forming a rear aperture; and wherein, the tailboom is an innertailboom slidably receivable into the outer housing via the rearaperture.
 18. The aircraft as recited in claim 16 further comprising anannular aft bearing interposed between the housing and the tailboomadjacent an aft end of the housing, the aft bearing configured tosupport the tailboom in the plurality of positions.
 19. The aircraft asrecited in claim 16 further comprising a limiter interposed between thehousing and the tailboom, the limiter configured to limit the tailboomfrom extending past a predetermined extended position, the limitermovable and selectively lockable along a length of the housing to changethe predetermined extended position of the tailboom.
 20. The aircraft asrecited in claim 16 wherein, the tailboom translates between theplurality of positions relative to the housing and relative to thejackscrew responsive to rotation of the jackscrew.